As a student, you are generally covered as a family member by a parent’s statutory health insurance until your 25th birthday, without paying a contribution of your own. Student family insurance requires that your total income does not exceed €565 a month. For a pure mini-job, the limit is €603. After that, student health insurance applies until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. Private health insurance during your studies usually requires an exemption from compulsory insurance.
Key points at a glance
- Family insurance as a student ends at the latest on your 25th birthday. If you finish your degree earlier, it ends at the end of the semester.
- The income limit in 2026 is €565 a month, or €603 for a pure mini-job. For employees, the figure rises to up to €667.50.
- BAföG, maintenance payments and child benefit do not count as income.
- If you obtain an exemption from compulsory insurance, you are not family insured for that period. The exemption is irrevocable.
- After family insurance, student health insurance usually follows, at around €143 to €148 a month.
Who can be covered by family insurance?
Spouses, registered partners and children of members of statutory health insurance are covered by family insurance. As the child of a parent with statutory cover, you must meet several requirements.
- You have your residence in Germany.
- You are not compulsorily insured yourself, exempt from insurance, or exempt from compulsory insurance.
- You are not self-employed on a full-time basis.
- Your total income does not exceed the limit.
If a privately insured parent has gross income above the compulsory insurance threshold (2026: €6,450 a month), children are not family insured. Your health insurance fund checks whether this applies to you in individual cases.
Until when are you covered by student family insurance?
The age limit depends on what you are doing. During your studies, you are family insured until your 25th birthday, after which family insurance ends.
| Age and situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Up to 18 years | No further requirement |
| Up to 23 years | If you are not in paid employment |
| Up to 25 years | During school or vocational training, studies, or a voluntary social or ecological year |
| Over 25 years | If compulsory civilian service applies, family insurance is extended by the length of that service. For voluntary military service, the federal voluntary service, the youth voluntary service, comparable voluntary service or development aid work, the extension is at most twelve months |
If you complete your degree, family insurance ends at the end of the semester, at the latest on your 25th birthday. Without training, for example after dropping out of university, it ends on your 23rd birthday, unless a new training course begins first.
The legislator regulates this in § 10 SGB V.
What income limit applies to family insurance?
What counts is your total income from all sources. In 2026, the limit is €565 a month. For a purely minor employment relationship, the mini-job limit of €603 applies. Employees may deduct the flat-rate allowance for work-related expenses of €102.50, so earnings of up to €667.50 are possible. For self-employment, there is no flat rate.
Income includes earnings from work, profits from self-employment, rental income, interest above the saver’s allowance of €1,000, and severance payments for a defined period. BAföG, parental maintenance, child benefit, parental allowance, housing benefit and tax-free scholarships do not count.
A limit of €590 is planned for 2027 (mini-job: €633). This is planned and not yet decided.
What applies to a side job or working student position?
A mini-job of up to €603 a month keeps your family insurance in place, provided it is your only employment. A working student position is usually above that. Then you are no longer family insured and move into student health insurance. A working student remains exempt from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance if they work no more than 20 hours a week during term, but pension insurance remains compulsory.
Example: Mia, 22, is a working student with 15 hours a week at the minimum wage of €13.90. That is about €208.50 a week and around €903 a month. She is above €565 and above €667.50, so she is no longer family insured. Ben, 21, on the other hand, has a mini-job paying €603 a month and remains family insured.
Short-term jobs are an exception: up to three months or 70 working days a year, if they are limited from the outset. All the rules for the individual models are in the article on health insurance with a side job (in German).
What happens when family insurance ends?
You must inform your health insurance fund as soon as you no longer meet the requirements. During your studies, student health insurance follows until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. In 2026, the contribution including long-term care insurance is €118.16 (under 23 or with a child) or €123.29 (childless from 23), plus your fund’s additional contribution. With the average additional contribution of 2.9 percent, that comes to around €143 or €148. More on the terms is in the article on costs and limits of statutory health insurance for students (in German).
When enrolling, the university requires a digital confirmation from a statutory health insurance fund about your insurance status, including from privately insured students. You can retrieve it no earlier than 1 June (winter semester) or 1 December (summer semester).
Family insurance after your degree: what comes next?
After graduation, family insurance ends at the end of the semester, at the latest on your 25th birthday. After that, your cover depends on what follows.
- Job subject to social insurance: As an employee, you are compulsorily insured, and your employer pays half of the contribution.
- Unemployment benefit I or basic income support: Compulsory insurance applies.
- No benefit, income up to €565: Family insurance is possible, but for the unemployed only until the 23rd birthday.
- Otherwise: Membership continues as voluntary insurance. For 2026, the minimum contribution including long-term care insurance is around €269 a month (example for childless people with a contribution rate of 14.0 percent and an additional contribution of 2.18 percent). The exact amount depends on your fund’s additional contribution. Leaving the fund only takes effect once you can show other cover.
Anyone who wants to switch to PKV must prove new cover before cancelling statutory insurance. What happens to a PKV after your degree is explained in What happens to your PKV after your studies? (in German)
Family insurance or PKV during your studies: which is better?
As long as you are family insured, you pay no contribution. That is the clear advantage. PKV comes into play during your studies through the exemption from compulsory insurance, which you apply for with your health insurance fund within three months of the start of compulsory insurance. The fund will clarify when this starts in your case.
| Criterion | Family insurance | PKV during studies |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution | None | Your own contribution based on entry age, health, plan and deductible |
| Requirement | Age, income limit, studies, statutory insured parent | Exemption from compulsory insurance and health questions |
| Benefits | As in statutory health insurance | Depends on the plan |
| Duration | Until 25 at the latest | The exemption usually applies for the entire course of study |
| End and return | Ends with age, income limit or exemption | Return to statutory insurance only in narrow cases |
The exemption is irrevocable. There is no family insurance during the period of exemption. A switch back to statutory insurance is usually only possible after your studies, for example through employment subject to compulsory insurance. PKV contributions can rise, and the application contains health questions that you must answer truthfully.
If a privately insured person becomes compulsorily insured under statutory insurance, they can cancel the PKV within three months, retroactively to the start of compulsory insurance. A claim to family insurance is treated the same as compulsory insurance.
Statutory health insurance has gaps, for example with glasses. Adults are only entitled to visual aids if they have a severe visual impairment or are more than 6.0 dioptres short-sighted or long-sighted (more than 4.0 for astigmatism). For dental prostheses, the fixed subsidy in 2026 is generally 60 percent of the standard supply, and a cut to 50 percent from 2027 has been agreed. Which gaps exist is set out in the article on gaps in statutory health insurance benefits (in German). The costs of PKV and whether it pays off are covered in PKV during studies at a glance (in German) and the comparison of PKV and GKV (in German). For a return, the article on returning to statutory health insurance (in German) helps.
| Feature | Values 2026 | 2027 (status) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income limit (total income) | €565 a month | €590 (calculated, planned, not yet decided; Bundesrat approval pending) | § 10 SGB V; planned regulation |
| Mini-job special case | €603 a month | €633 (official) | § 10 para. 1 sentence 5 SGB V; Minijob-Zentrale |
| Age limit in training | 25 years | Unchanged | § 10 para. 2 SGB V |
| Extension of the age limit | By the length of service and voluntary service | Unchanged | § 10 para. 2 SGB V |
| Monthly reference income (basis) | €3,955 | €4,130 (planned, not yet decided; cabinet decision 7 October 2026) | BMAS, planned regulation |
Frequently asked questions
Until when are you family insured as a student?
Until your 25th birthday, as long as you are studying and your total income does not exceed €565 a month. If you finish your degree earlier, family insurance ends at the end of the semester. It lasts longer in the case of compulsory civilian service (for the duration of the service) and voluntary services (at most twelve months).
How high is the income limit for family insurance?
In 2026, it is €565 a month for all income combined. For a purely minor employment relationship, the mini-job limit of €603 applies. Employees can deduct the €102.50 flat-rate allowance and reach up to €667.50. BAföG, maintenance and child benefit do not count.
Do I stay family insured with a mini-job?
Yes, as long as the mini-job is your only employment and you earn no more than €603 a month. A second job or other income is added together. If in doubt, call the health insurance fund of your parents, which runs the family insurance.
Can I stay family insured if I obtain an exemption from compulsory insurance?
No. If you obtain an exemption, you no longer meet a requirement of family insurance. It is ruled out for the period of the exemption, and the exemption usually applies for the entire course of study.
What to do now
- Check your age and your total monthly income against the limits.
- If you have a side job, calculate your income in advance and keep an eye on the mini-job limit and your weekly hours.
- Tell your health insurance fund about changes early so that there is no gap in cover.
- Plan the transition to student health insurance when you turn 25 or exceed the income limit.
- If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage (in German).
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Related articles
- Private health insurance for students: costs and benefits (in German)
- PKV or GKV as a student: which pays off more? (in German)
- Statutory health insurance during studies: experiences, costs and limits (in German)
- Returning to statutory health insurance: when a switch from PKV is possible (in German)
- Health insurance as a student over 25: costs and options 2026 (in German)
- Family insurance during studies under 25 (in German)
- Additional contributions 2026 for all health insurance funds and what students pay (in German)
- Changing health insurance fund as a student (in German)
- A-levels done: money and insurance before you start studying (in German)
- Income comparison in family insurance (in German)
- Family insurance during studies (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
